NASCAR driver Danica Patrick stopped by the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut, on Wednesday and sat down with espnW to talk about everything from her uncontrollable road rage to her love for Britney Spears, and explained why she's the go-to girl at the race track for anyone with a medical ailment.
espnW: What kind of car do you drive in real life?
Patrick: I drive a Chevy Tahoe.
espnW: Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Patrick: I have not gotten a speeding ticket in my Chevy Tahoe, but I've had about 20 otherwise. They've all been for speeding, I actually don't think I've had any others for not stopping. Well, I was pulled over for not stopping at a stop sign one time, but I didn't get a ticket. I just had to go down to the local fire station and say hello to everybody. I didn't have to, they were going to let me off and they said, "We've got some big fans down the road, want to come see 'em?" I said, "Yes, I do! Let's do it!" It was a wise decision, I feel like.
espnW: Do you have a hard time not being competitive or keeping your speed down when you get in your regular car?
Patrick: That is the best way to ask that question. People always ask, "Is it hard to get out of your race car and into a regular car?" And it isn't. It's all relative. We're all going 200, or we're all going 80. I'm trying to go a little faster than everyone in both locations. But do I have a hard time not being competitive or doing the speed limit? Yes, I do. I want to beat everyone on the road, even if it's just by a little bit. It's that killer instinct we have, it just oozes out.
espnW: Do you have any road rage?
Patrick: I am road rage. I do many illegal things on the road. I pass where I'm not supposed to pass, I drive way too fast, I don't make complete stops, I kind of bully people with my car and semi-cut them off if they make me mad.
espnW: Are people afraid to get in the car with you?
Patrick: Yes. I drive frustrated. To be honest with you, though, my sister and I both have the same problem. We're both very anxious, very frustrated on the road. She recently moved and her new commute to work is much more peaceful and she feels so much better about her days because she's not frustrated and stuck in traffic all the time. It really helps her day. I can relate. Actually my boyfriend [fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.] has told me, "You need to drive on the race track like you do on the road." It's probably true. It means I need to imagine every driver on the race track as completely incompetent because that's how I feel on the regular road. Don't tell anyone I'm going to do that, it might be seen as disrespectful.
[Editor's note: Sorry for blowing up your spot here, Danica.]
espnW: What's the weirdest thing you have in your purse right now?
Patrick: I always have a little bit of everything. Nail clippers, nail file, dental floss, Hydrocortisone, Neosporin, probiotics, vitamins ... You know, everything. My purse is part of my luggage because I'm always traveling. But my backpack, it might as well be a drugstore. It has everything in it for every occasion. It has everything from nausea medicine to Prednisone to antibiotics because when I'm traveling, I can't always get those things. I just throw whatever I don't take into my bag. I try not to advertise I have all that stuff, but those around me, my family, my boyfriend, know I have "the stuff."
espnW: What is the most embarrassing song you have on your phone?
Patrick: I'm sure I have some old school Britney Spears in there, is that embarrassing? I'm not sure. People still love her, right? I know I do.
espnW: No shame in that! What's your favorite Britney song?
Patrick: Probably "Slave 4 U." Not this last album but the one before was pretty good, too.
espnW: What is the best advice you've ever received from a coach or mentor?
Patrick: My old boss, Bobby Rahal, the former Indy 500 winner, he planted the seed that I should save my money. Actually, he didn't plant that seed, he literally said, "Don't spend all your money." But he really encouraged me to think about how I was going to live after I was done racing. You know, the income for racing is pretty good but we don't race until we're 65. He planted the seed about how I can earn money when I'm done racing. So what it's evolved to is "What can I do when I'm done racing that I'm really into and make money from?"
espnW: What are some of those interests for your post-racing career?
Patrick: I love cooking so I've recently started writing down my recipes and taking pictures of my food so that way I can make a journal and maybe one day make a book. I also love fashion. I feel like everyone and their sister has done fashion, but I enjoy it. I have interests in the world of wine, too. I don't feel like I have time now with my current workload for my job now to do a good job with anything else, so right now it's just about putting a good foundation now so when I'm done racing, I can do some of these things.
espnW: What are three things on your bucket list?
Patrick: I always have wanted to run a marathon. I just want to do it. I'm so competitive that I don't think I would train so at least I could say "I didn't train and that's why I didn't win!" I love traveling and seeing new places -- I would love to see the pyramids in Egypt someday. I feel like I've lived a very full life so far and have gotten to do so many amazing things that I don't really think about it. I probably should. I'll tell you the one thing that's definitely not on my list - skydiving. That doesn't even sound interesting. I want to be able to keep picking things out of the bucket, and if I fall out of the plane and my parachute doesn't work, no more bucket list.
espnW: What is the most inaccurate stereotype about NASCAR or its fans?
Patrick: No, they're all pretty true. Stereotypes exist for a reason. NASCAR is thought of as more redneck, Southern, hillbilly fans and drivers and people. By all means, that's true. It's a very Southern-based sport. But there are plenty that aren't and plenty of sophisticated drivers and fans and crew people. I would say that stereotype is just as even the other way too.
espnW: Do you have a superstition or ritual you have to follow before a race?
Patrick: No. Superstitions are only real if you believe in them, so I try not to have them. I'm not going to say I never do but I try to only make them last a week or two.
espnW: What do you wish people knew about you?
Patrick: I love being mysterious! I'm kidding. But I do think mystery is what keeps people intrigued, they want to know more because they don't know it all. Although there are famous people out there who put it all out there and leave nothing to the imagination and leave no mystery whatsoever with so much documentation of their daily lives.
espnW: Are you talking about the Kardashians?
Patrick:[Nodding] No! I would never talk about them! No! But, yes, you're reading my mind actually. But I'm still intrigued with Kim Kardashian even though I see what she does every day on Instagram and Twitter. So I think I just need more selfies. I'm just going to start doing weird, mysterious selfies. If you follow me, you'll start seeing it.